William t



(NoModeL) W. T. GOOLD.

, AUTOMATIC STEAM TRAP.

No. 594,005. Patented Nov. 23,1897.

IN VE N TOR A TTORNEY PATENT FFICE.

WILLIAM T. GOOLD, OF SHILLINGFORD, ENGLAND.

AUTOMATIC STEAM TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,005, dated November 23, 1897.

7 Application filed October 20,1896. Serial No. 609,398. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM T. GooLD, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Shillingford, in the county of Oxford, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Steam-Traps, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to automatic steamtraps or apparatus designed for automatically draining off the Water of condensation from steam-pipes, steam cylinders or jackets, or other receptacles wherein the water of condensation may collect without allowing steam to escape.

My invention relates more particularly to that class of steam-traps wherein the Valve through which the water escapes is connected with a device which expands and contracts or changes its form with the differences of temperature to which it is subjected by the collected water and by the steam. Devices of this general character are described in British Letters Patent No. 7,860, A. D. 1893, and No. 21,571, A. D. 1894.

The object of my present invention is to decrease the size of the apparatus and increase its certainty of action.

Hitherto the practice has been to connect one member of the valve-to wit, either the valve-seat or the valve-stemalone with the expansible and contractible member which responds to differences of temperature. The consequence has been that in order to attain the desired certainty of action and sufficient clearance in the valve to insure freedom from clogging it has been necessary to make the apparatus of considerable size. By my invention, however, I am enabled to so far (16-.

crease the size that atrap with the same capacity as heretofore secured may be produced with half the weight. This I accomplish by putting both members of the valve under the control or action of the expansible and contractible device by whose action the valve is permitted or caused to open and close.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I shall describe it as applied to that form of trap wherein a spring is used in connection with the valve, so as to permit it to yield when subjected to the closing action of the expansible or contractible portion of the apparatus in order to prevent injury to it.

so that a torsional effect will be produced owing to their different expansion and contract-ion.

My invention consists, further, in details of construction and combination of parts'more particularly hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing the figure represents in side elevation an apparatus embodying my invention.

H 11 indicate pipes through which the escaping Water flows, H being the outlet and H the tube in which the water of condensation may collect. These tubes are secured at one end in a frame Aand at the other end are connected together in a head or coupling B, which contains the valve, (indicated at a.) Pipe H may be of brass or copper and H of iron, so that when heated above normal a torsional effect will be produced, owing to their different coefficients of expansion, which will tend to move their free ends joined in coupling ]3 upward or in a direction to bring the valve-seat in said coupling against the valve and thereby close the outlet against the escape of steam or Water. When the temperature decreases, owing to the collection of water in tube H, the free end moves in the opposite direction, thereby permitting the valve to become unseated by the pressure, it being previously held closed by the action of a spring d, which presses against one arm of a lever is, whose other arm rests upon the valvestem a. The point at which the valve shall be relieved from the pressure of said spring, so that it shall not follow the valve-seat, but shall be opened by the pressure, is determined by a stop consisting of a nut g on a rod Z, which passes through the lever The nut 9 may be adjusted to determine the point at which the valve shall be opened. As soon as the water has been expelled by the action of the steam-pressure and steam begins to pass the increased temperature causes the torsional effects which move the head 13 in a direction to close the valve. Damage to the parts from excessive movement is prevented by the fact that the valve may yield while being kept closed by the spring d.

As thus far described the apparatus is the same as that set forth in the previous British patent, No. 21,571, of 1894:. It is obvious that in this device the clearance or extent of opening of the valve is determined by the movement which can be given to the head B by the torsional effects due to changes of temperature, and to get such movement in the required degree it has been necessary hitherto to make the pipes H H of very considerable length. My improvement consists in putting the valve to itself under control of the expansible and contractible portion of the apparatus, consisting in the present case of the tubes H H, so that in addition to the movement of the head B, which carries the valve-seat, the effect due to a corresponding movement of the parts controlling the valve and valve-stem a in an opposite direction may be superadded thereto. This I accomplish in the form of trap shown by connecting the rod Z with the tubes, so that as the latter are moved to carry the valve-seat down they will at the same time, by the action of nut g on lever 70, move upwardly that part of said lever which rests upon the valve-stem a, and vice versa when the tubes move the valve-seat upwardly. As will be obvious, if the two arms of the lever be properly proportionedthat is to say, if the arm upon which the nut g bears is made the short arm of the lever-the clearance in the valve may be practically double, or even more than double, with tubes H H of the same length as heretofore employed, or, if desired, the same clearance as heretofore attained may be secured by using tubes of less length. The rod Z may be secured to the tubes so as to be moved thereby in any suitable Way. I prefer to simply mount it upon a block or head clamped to the upper tube, as shown, the spring d being arranged to bear at one end upon said block or clamp in the same way that it has hitherto had a bearing upon a fixed portion of the apparatus-as, for instance, the frame A.

I do not limit myself to the application of the devices in the manner before described to traps wherein the water and steam circulate through two tubes of different coefficients of expansion, as it is obvious that instead of one of said tubes a fixed stay or'rod might be employed, as described in the patents before referred to.

I do not limit myself to the particular details of the apparatus, but claim, broadly, the combination, with the outlet-valve, of suitable mechanical connections with the expansible and contractible member of the apparatus, whereby the opening and closing of the trap maybe effected under the control or operation of said member in such way that a movement both of the valve-stem and valveseat shall be caused or permitted.

What I claim as my invention is-- 1. The combination, substantially as described, in a steam-trap, of two connected tubes having different coefficients of expan sion, and an outlet-valve the seat and valvestem of which are both connected to said tubes and moved therein in the manner described so as to increase the clearance of the valve.

2. In an automatic steam-trap, the combination, substantially as described, of a hollow rod, tube or pipe as H, fastened at one end and connected at its opposite or free end to another similarly-mounted tube or rod so as to move at its free end by the torsional effects due to differences of temperature between the two rods, an outlet-valve carried by said tube or pipe, and a lever bearing at one end 011 the valve-stem and at its other upon a spring supported upon said tube.

3. In an automatic steam-trap a pair of tubes fixed at one end and having different coefficients of expansion, a head or coupling in which said tubes are joined at the opposite end, a valve in said coupling, a lever 70 bearing on the valve-stem, a spring d and rod Z connected with said tubes all arranged and operated as and for the purpose set forth.

Signed at Shillingford, this 26th day of August, 1896.

\VILLIAM T. GOOLD.

W'itnesses:

T. FORTY, ALEXR. FOWLER. 

